


One More Drink

by RicePudding743



Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Manga & Anime, Romance, Slow Romance, Tsunderes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-02
Updated: 2020-08-01
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:53:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25661668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RicePudding743/pseuds/RicePudding743
Summary: Vars, a monk tiefling, is constantly striving to get stronger! With the help of her party of Rei, a priestess, and Xach, an echo knight she feels confident in her abilities. That's how it should be at least. She winds up in debt with a tavern consisting of a rowdy staff and a sarcastic a**hole boss.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Keep in mind that these characters are from a DnD session I was in! Please give me any criticism or suggestions as you see fit

Vars POV  
“Phew” I sighed after I dealt my final strike to a wolf. “That was a tedious job” My name is Vars, and I’m a monk who’s part of the Iron Cloud Guild. So far I’m only Bronze ranked but I constantly strive to get stronger. 

“Vars” whined a voice behind me. “We could’ve tamed him!”

“How Xach?” I sighed rolling my eyes. “With the power of your hugs?” Xach was the animal lover in my party. For some reason, he thinks that the only way to kill an enemy is by hugging it.

“MY HUGS ARE AMAZING DAMMIT” pouted Xach

“Guys we should stop fighting!” a soft voice murmured. Rei, our priestess was the sensible one of the group. She was gentle and soft-spoken, but she was adorable.

“Let’s just go home” I rolled my eyes and started the trek. We make a pretty ok team but “ok” isn’t good enough to be the best.

“How much dough are we gonna get for these guys?” Asked Xach as he whistled for our dog, Pokecord.

“Enough for 1/4 of rent for a month” replied Rei.

I stayed silent and continued to trek through the trees. My mind was normally in a scheduled order. Fight. Eat. Sleep. Repeat. Little did I know, my life would be turned upside down.


	2. The Tavern

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The story finally begins! Yaaayyyyy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please give me any criticism, suggestions, or comments as you see fit! Also, Pokecord is the name of the wolf we tamed in the DnD session! Again, this is based on a DnD session I was in so some media references will appear in this story!

**No One's POV**

As the party was walking through the forest, Xach suddenly burst into song. “ Two lovers forbidden from one another! A war divides their people. And a mountain divides them apart. Built a path to be together. Rei, I forgot the words but then it goes….”

“Please don’t” whispered Rei.

Xach started to screech. “ SECRET TUNNEL. SECRET TUNNEL. IN THE MOUNTAINS. SECRET SECRET-” He then was abruptly silenced by Var’s fist knocking him square in the mouth.

“ Shut. Up.” hissed Vars. 

“ Hey guys we’re home!” said Xach through a bloody mouth. 

“ You should get some medical help” murmured Rei. “ Wait, there’s a new tavern!”

“ WE SHOULD GO!” Exclaimed Xach. 

“ No.” gruffly stated Vars. 

“ We should get some food especially after our quest!” added Ray. 

“ Hmmmmm,” growled Vars. 

“ Pleassssssseeeeee???” begged Xach. 

“ Fine,” Vars said. 

**Vars POV**

As we walked through town, we reached the Tavern.  _ Strange _ I thought.  _ We were only gone for a few days on a mission _ . _ A tavern this big should’ve taken a few weeks to build _ . There was a sign outside of the building that said “ Gorbaz’s food, drinks, galore!” The decor was plain. Which is average for a tavern. As I entered the tavern, the inside of it was much more decorated. Glowing orbs of light floated around the spacious area, illuminating the rustic interior of the spacious restaurant. Despite being fairly new, the place was almost packed. There was a fireplace along with a few bookshelves on the walls. At the far end of the room, there was a bar. All three of us sat down. 

“I wonder if Pokecord is allowed here….” murmured Xach. 

“Of course!” Answered a wood elf girl sitting near us. She had collar bone length dark hair and green eyes. “How else would Seishin stay here then?” She gestured to the small fox on her shoulder.

“Are you the bartender?” Asked Xach.

“Nope! I’m the cook!” answered the girl. “My name is Atalanta and I could take you to order if you want, my break is ending anyway.

“CHICKEN POT PIE PLEASE!” Screeched Xach. 

“I would like to have bread and vegetable stew.” requested Ray softly.

“Ramen,” I said bluntly.

“Wonderful! Sit tight! The Bartender is going to be here very soon so you guys could order your drinks!” said Atalanta cheerfully. She then turned around and disappeared behind the counter.

“WTF?” Said Xach. 

“How is magic surprising to you?” I asked.

**Rei’s POV**

Those two started a conversation and I was just intent to watch. Until I felt a hand on my shoulder.

“Hello there little lady” a drunken man murmured into my face.

“Sorry sir but I think-“ I stuttered. Quick! Think of a plan? Pretend that Xach or Vars is my girlfriend/boyfriend! I pondered the thought. Nope I still have dignity.

“Lady? She’s more of a mouse. And a cute one at that.” Chuckled a second.

“Why not we ditch this place and then-“

“Hey!” A stern voice said behind the counter. “Are these two men bothering you?” An avian-like woman appeared before me. She had grey hair but didn’t seem old. Heck, she looked around my age! Her facial features were a bit round but still screamed authority. She had bright golden eyes that were sharp and focused. But the feature that stood out the most was her giant wings that were attached to her back.

“.. Yes,” I said with my head down. I was supposed to be an adventurer and yet I had to be saved by a stranger!

“Scram before I smite you a**es” she hissed to the two men. And they ran like hell. 

“Angel?” I murmured under my breath.

She chuckled. “No, the name is Aviel though”

She heard me! I blushed profusely. 

“Yo, is everything alright?” Asked Xach. “Ray are you ok?”

“This young lady was just harassed by two drunks. Take care of her next time” Aviel said. A flash of emotion appeared in her eyes

“T-thank you!” I stuttered. “ I should’ve taken care of myself though... I’m too helpless”

“Everybody needs help,” she said gently.

“Are you Gorbaz?” asked Vars.

“That perverted f*ck? No way! He’s my boss though. I’m just the bartender. May I take your order?”


	3. Meeting The Owner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We finally meet the mysterious owner of the tavern, Gorbaz! Is something happening between Aviel and Rei? Will Xach ever stop screaming? Find out on this chapter of One More Drink!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please give me comments, criticism, and suggestions in the comment section below! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

**Vars POV**

“Virgin Sun’s Glory” murmured Rei, avoiding eye contact with the bartender, blushing profusely. 

“Got it” replied Aviel, grabbing a mixer. 

“ THE FLAMING DRAGON!!!” screeched Xach. “ WHENEVER IT MAKES ME BURP, I CAN BREATHE FIRE”

“Adventurous” Aviel said, raising her eyebrow. “ And you ma’am?” She gestured in my direction. Hmm, drinking alcohol wouldn’t be too bad for me this time. 

“I would like-” I started.

“NO!” Xach and Rei shouted simultaneously. 

“Don’t. Seriously. Don’t” Xach warned. I grew red, I wasn’t that horrible of a drinker!

“Guys, I’m not a child!” I stuttered. 

“You passed out and then choked on your vomit” Xach scolded. 

“When Xach’s the voice of reason you know it’s bad” informed Rei towards Aviel. 

“I really don’t care. As long as y’all pay me I don’t mind serving her alcohol or not. Although from the priestess’s description, I’m going to dumb down the alcohol part a bit.”

“Just give me mead…” I muttered, placing my money down. 

“Dinner’s here!” announced Atalanta from nowhere. 

“CHICKEN! YEEESSSS” squealed Xach as she served him the chicken pot pie. 

  
“Chicken…. Huh” muttered Aviel. As she served me the ramen I ordered, I took a small sip.  _ Not bad _ I thought. Aviel then served me my mead.  _ Bad drinker, _ I thought bitterly to myself.  _ Pfft _ . That’s absolute bs. The ramen accompanied by the mead was quite refreshing and gave a warm feeling to my stomach.

“Aviel, sweetie” purred a person beside us.

“Sweetie?” gagged Rei, choking on her stew. A lady with brown neck-length hair appeared near our winged-bartender. She wiggled her eyebrows. She was armed with a bow and arrow that was strapped on her back. 

“B*tch!” grinned Aviel as she hugged the woman. 

  
_Hmph. More weirdos_. I thought to myself, drinking the rest of my ramen. I looked at my mug of mead. It wasn’t even half done. _Damn. Well, can’t let that good sht get wasted!_ I downed the entire thing in a single gulp. Everything went woozy.

**No One’s POV**

“Oh no..” murmured Ray, glaring at Vars.

“What’s wrong cutie?” asked the archer, whose name was not B*tch but in fact Ashley which was an even b*tchier name.

“She’s… she’s…” murmured Xach, face pale with fear. 

“ DRUNK!” they cried holding each other for dear life. Pokecord started whimpering. 

“Come on sweetie, a drunk isn’t that-” Ashley started but then was immediately silenced by a fist aimed at her face. 

“HAHAHAHA Ashley is a really b*tchy name! I don’t like b*tches” drawled Vars with a tomato face.    
  


“Punching me? You really are brave aren’t you b*tch?” grinned Ashley. 

“ASHLEY NO!” screamed Atalanta. 

“I'm GOING TO CUT A BTCH” Ashley screamed. And a brawl began. At first, it was just Ashley and Vars but then it escalated to full madness. 

“The first day on the job and things are already going to shmoot” wept Atalanta behind the counter. 

“AIM FOR THE FACE!” screamed Xach as he was allying himself with Ashley. 

“What's going on?” asked a man with messy dark hair and grey eyes as he strolled in from the back door. He had a tired, bored look to him. 

“Boss!” cried Atalanta. 

“Simp!” yelled Aviel. 

“If you’re calling him boss then he’s…” said Rei hiding behind the counter.

“Gorbaz. The most sarcastic jerk you’ll ever meet” explained Aviel. 

“And the most perverted” added Atalanta. 

“ Why isn’t Gawd doing anything?” growled Gorbaz. 

“ He’s busy reading manga!” Atalanta explained. 

“ NEB! NOOOOO” screamed Xach as he cradled a knocked out Bard in his arms. 

“ It’s absolute Pandemonium sir! You have to do something!” shouted Atalanta as she dodged a flying mug. 

“... Nahhh. Yo, Aviel could you get me a mug of mead? I’m dying of thirst over here.” Gorbaz lazily sat on a barstool and started studying a book. 

“ YOU’RE GOING TO DO NOTHING?” exclaimed Rei. “ BUT YOUR TAVERN-”

“Is going to be just fine.” sighed Gorbaz. “ Anyway, I’ll make them pay after. Literally. You good at math?”

“Yeah, I think so” responded Rei. 

“Each cup they break is about three silver pieces.” CRASH! “ Each table they break is about 10 gold pieces” BOOM! “And the amount of manpower that is going into cleaning this up would say 10 gold pieces” BAM! “ And that repair on that bookshelf is going to cost at least 5 gold pieces. And those books were of high quality. I predict that about 50 out of our 200 cups are going to get wrecked, ten out of twenty tables will be destroyed, and two bookshelves will need repair, with additional manpower.” Gorbaz said breezily. He looked up from his book and leaned near where Rei was hiding. “ So these people are going to pay every copper piece until this place looks better than it was before”. Rei gulped  _ That’s a lot of money!  _ She thought. He continued “ Thankfully, I’m in a generous mood. So I’ll only charge the idiot who started this mess.” Rei’s entire face turned white.  _ Oh, gods, _ Rei thought

“Ok, things are getting less entertaining and more pathetic” sighed Gorbaz as he stepped over a man who seemed to have passed out. Gorbaz started flipping through his book and recited something in it. A smoky illusion sprouted from the book in the form of a goat-like demon. 

“OK, YOU IDIOTS GET OUT RIGHT NOW BEFORE I WHIP YOUR A**ES” screeched the smoky demon. 

“Kinky!” choked Xach back, currently in a headlock. Everyone else, however, ran the hell out except for a certain drunk tiefling and Xach. 

“This isn’t over!” screamed Ashley as she ran out of the tavern. 

“She’s completely knocked out!” exclaimed Rei, coming out of her hiding place and sitting by Vars’s side.

“Mr. Gorbaz, she was drunk! Please shorten the fee for the damage! She’ll never do it again I promise” cried Rei. 

“Come on Gorbaz, cut her some slack.” Aviel elbowed the ravenette in the gut. Gorbaz pondered the idea and sighed. 

“ Atalanta, damage report,” he said gruffly. 

“ Fifteen tables, forty-three cups, and two bookshelves. And 5 books ruined ” called out Atalanta.

“ About 175 gold pieces and 129 silver pieces in damage.” groaned Gorbaz. “ But if the young lady insists I suppose I could shorten it to 100 gold pieces and 50 silver pieces.”

“ Thank you, sir!” Ray smiled and then bowed. 

“And,” he continued, “you three have to become patrons for this tavern at least 5 times per week. No exceptions”

“B-but..” stuttered Ray. 

“No.Exceptions,” Gorbaz said, looming over the young lady. Suddenly, Vars gagged and barfed all over Gorbaz’s dress shoes. “Ugh, just get this thing out of my sight.” 

“I’ll help carry the two idiots” piped up Aviel as she slung Vars and Xach on her shoulders. 

“T-thank you!” stuttered Rei “ Thank you to sir! You won’t regret it-”

“Just get out of my tavern” spat Gorbaz. Rei squeaked and ran out of the tavern, quickly followed by Aviel. Atalanta sighed and shut the doors of the tavern. 


	4. Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vars is wasted out of her mind while Aviel has to escort these idiots home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please give me any comments, criticism, or suggestions necessary! Have a good time reading!

**Rei’s POV**

Aviel and I walked alongside a canal on the way back to our house. Aviel carried an incapacitated Vars and an injured Xach. My thoughts flashed to the two conditions Gorbaz gave us.*100 gold pieces and 50 silver pieces???* I thought, panicked. With the additional cost of us coming and having to order something everyday…. I turned and looked at Aviel and attempted to start a conversation.

“So…. Your boss Gorbaz…” I started nervously, fiddling with my staff.

“Yeah he’s a bit of an ass” chuckled Aviel, “ But he, sadly, is still my boss”

“Could you put me down now?” Asked Xach. “ The world stopped spinning”

“You might have a concussion!” I gasped. I whipped out my staff and cast a spell on Xach’s head.

“Whew! Thanks, Rei!” Xach exclaimed, smiling. He struggled out of Aviel’s grasp and walked beside Pokecord, who was whining to Xach for pets.

“Ehm, you two make a good couple….” coughed Aviel.

“WAIT IT ISN’T LIKE THAT I SWEAR!” I shouted.

“Wow. That hurt my feelings….” pouted Xach, who was currently giving Pokecord more pets. 

“So you two aren’t a thing hm?” Aviel then smiled.

**  
  
**

“This is us!” I stuttered out. We reached a medium-sized building. Our home was a three-bedroom apartment complex. Now and then it was cramped, but it was so cozy that we couldn’t bear to leave. 

“Out of topic-comment here,” started Xach, “BUT HOW THE HECK ARE WE SUPPOSED TO RESOLVE OUR DEBT??”

“We’re going to have to take more jobs more frequently if we want to make the rent and pay the debt we owe….” I groaned. Pokecord stuck his head under my hand in an attempt to comfort me. I smiled and patted his head. 

“ This is a nice place you all got here”, whistled Aviel. “And a nice doggo too.” She patted Pokecord on the head.

“Maybe we could-” I started, with the intent of inviting Aviel in for tea.

“You can go home now, it’s getting dark and we can carry Vars ourselves” interrupted Xach. *WHYYYYY???* I screamed in my head.

“ If you insist” sighed Aviel. She put Vars on Xach’s shoulder and spread her wings to fly.

“See you tomorrow you guys!” she said, she then turned to me and winked.

“ Goodnight…” I mumbled looking down on the ground.

“Night!” Xach screamed, making Vars wave Aviel goodbye. Aviel gave Pokecord one more pet and flew into the sky.

“Xach… I was about to invite her in for some tea” I sighed. Well, maybe it was for the best. After all, we aren’t too close to each other yet. 

“Well, I accidentally blew Rei’s chances to get laid” whistled Xach. I turned red immediately and attempted to refute him until Vars started foaming at the mouth. Pokecord yelped in alarm and scratched at the door frantically. 

“ We’ll have this conversation later” finalized Xach, “ But now we have to get home before Vars starts puking on the street”

“ Agreed” I nodded. We both got in and fell asleep. 

**  
  
**

***Late Evening at the Tavern***

****Atalanta POV****

“About time you came back!” I pouted at Lucas. *He’s supposed to be our manager! He can at least pretend to be a good one!* I thought. 

“Did you have trouble with the job?” I asked, worried. 

“Definitely not. I just procrastinated for a while by reading manga ” he responded casually, shutting the door. “ Is everyone here?”

“Everyone except for Aviel,” I answered, rubbing Seishin on his ears. 

“Ugh, this is taking too long” sighed Gorbaz, shutting his book. Then, a grand gust of wind greeted our shut ceiling window. Gorbaz made a small wave and opened it up. Like a hurricane, Aviel landed. 

“It does not take that long to drop people off!” I scolded. 

“ Took a night flight, the town’s quite pretty at this time…” Aviel said nonchalantly as she took a seat at the bar. 

“ Ok, now everyone’s here” Gorbaz announced. “ Aviel, next time don’t be late. You can go sightsee later but we can’t forget what we’re here for in the first place. Ok?”

“ Oh we can never forget that can we?” sighed Aviel putting her feet up at the table. 

“ Oh by the way, why would you charge that one party that came into the tavern?” I asked. 

“ They need to know the consequences of their actions” shrugged Gorbaz. 

“ But the amount of money needed to clean this place up is just a minimum wage for our patrons. You can literally just use magic for the repairs too. Also, why invite them here every day?” 

“ I did that because Aviel’s whipped for the priestess chick” answered Gorbaz. *What does whipped mean?* I thought. I turned to Aviel and saw a small blush on her cheeks. Well, that explains it. 

“ I thought you said we couldn’t afford to get distracted or whatever” stated Lucas, reading his manga. 

“ It’s ok, no one will know anyway” smiled Gorbaz. “ Atalanta, you got another job from them too” Gorbaz handed me a piece of paper. 

I sighed and read it. “ Aligns with my morals and interests” I stated. “ I’ll take it” I grabbed my gear and started to walk out of the tavern. 

“ Don’t forget! The Tavern’s opening at 8~” called Lucas. 

“ It’s fine, I’ll get rid of the job in a few hours anyway” I responded. The tavern door shut.


	5. The Main Love Interests Finally Meet!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The main love interests finally meet! Took me long enough!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave any comments, criticism, or suggestions if need be! Please enjoy this chapter!

**Vars POV**

A piercing light split my head open as I awoke. I groaned and attempted to recall the events that happened the night before. I saw flashing images of Rei, Xach, me punching someone, and…. A guy? His image was fuzzy so I decided not to dwell too much on it. Another piercing sensation shot through my head. *Stupid hangover* I thought to myself bitterly. 

“Why is there vomit on my clothes?” I pondered. I then changed out and took a hot shower. When I went into the living/dining room for breakfast, I was stopped by Xach. 

“WTF TOOK YOU SO LONG? WE HAVE TO GET A JOB IMMEDIATELY!” he screeched in my face. My head rang again and I took a step back. 

“Ugh, why? We took a job yesterday” I muttered. I then took a seat on our table. 

“BECAUSE SOME IDIOT DECIDED TO WRECK A TAVERN AND NOW WE OWE A DEBT OF 100 GOLD PIECES AND 50 SILVER PIECES!” Xach scolded. I was awake immediately. 

“ I WASN’T THAT DRUNK!” I panicked. One hundred? How are we supposed to pay the rent with a debt like that?!?

“ You were that drunk” sighed Rei, entering our apartment with her arms full of job requests, “ We have to visit that tavern 5 times a week now. What’s even worse is that we now have to take more difficult jobs! That takes a LONGER time to complete.” Rei sounded more worried than angry at my recklessness. I felt a twinge of guilt.

“ Ok, time for me to finish those jobs.” I sighed and stretched. 

“ All by yourself?” gasped Rei, “ That’s too dangerous Vars you can’t-”

“ It’s not your debt to pay!” I argued back, grabbing my supplies and a bag.

“ Listen, Vars, we’re a team! We work together or not at all!” Rei said indignantly. 

“ But I mean if you’re really willing to do all the work…” Xach muttered. 

“ You took part in the bar brawl too!” scolded Rei. Xach sighed and took a job request too. 

“ Pokecord!” he called. Pokecord walked out of Xach’s room, his wagging tail greeting the party. “ If we split up, we can finish more jobs efficiently. My echo knight and I can accomplish mediocre quests quickly.”

“ Don’t you think about it! Your recklessness is going to get you killed!” said Rei. “ We’re going together”    
  


“ You and Xach go,” I said. “ I’ll take care of myself” Without waiting for Rei’s reply, I grabbed a few job requests and went outside. * Capture them, get this, protect those* I thought as I read a few of the requests. *Seems easy enough* On my way to the first job, I passed Gorbaz’s and I heard a bit of shouting. 

“ FOR THE LAST TIME, I’M NOT WEARING A MAID OUTFIT!” shouted a girl, Atalanta was her name, right?

“ I READ IN THIS MANGA CALLED *HOST CLUB* THAT MORE CUSTOMERS COME IF THE EMPLOYEES COSPLAY!” argued another voice I didn’t recognize. 

“ THEN WHY DOES AVIEL GET TO WEAR A BUTLER SUIT? I’M THE COOK I’M NOT EVEN SUPPOSED TO BE SEEN!” responded the girl. 

“ SHE’S LESBIAN FANSERVICE! GORBAZ ALREADY WEARS A BUSINESS SUIT SO YOU’LL HAVE TO WEAR A MAID OUTFIT!” said the voice. 

“ YOU’RE FIRST ORDER AS MANAGER IS MAKING ME COSPLAY AS A MAID???” screeched the girl. “ BOSS SAY SOMETHING!”

“ He does have a point” a third voice responds cooly. 

“ PERV!” shouted the girl. I raised my eyebrow,  _ I shouldn’t get involved _ I thought and left for the job. 

**  
  
**

***Time Skip***

**** Xach POV****

“ That was impossible!” I cried at Rei, who looked equally tired and beat up as me. 

“ Now we have to visit Gorbaz's. Vars said when we met up again that she only has one more job left! ,” she said, her eyes flashing happily. *She’s into that Aviel chick isn’t she?” However, I wasn’t in much of a mood to visit the tavern. Pokecord whined a bit. *He’s hungry* I thought, rubbing his head. *Maybe it is a good idea to go to the tavern*

“ We’re here!” announced Rei. “ Why does it smell like roses?” I sniffed the air, Rei did have a point. It smelled like roses and sweets. 

“ What are we waiting for? Let’s go in and get this whole visit thing over with!” I stomped over to the door and kicked it open, only to be immediately greeted by rose petals. 

“ WHAT THE HECK IS THIS?” I screamed. The decor inside of the tavern changed. There were bouquets of flowers everywhere with fewer tables that were covered in the table cloth. The bar in the center was neater than ever with Aviel wearing a butler outfit. She wore a pin that had a wing and a gladiolus on it. Her hair was tied back into a low ponytail. Gorbaz was reading the same book as before and was wearing a different, more refined butler outfit. He had a pin with a rose design. Neb, a bard who I befriended at the bar fight, was playing flamboyant classical music on the piano in the same butler outfit as Aviel, but with a different flower pin on his chest. 

“ Welcome master and mistress!” Aviel called. Rei’s face immediately grew red as we rushed to the bar. 

“ WHAT HAPPENED?” I asked, taking a seat in front of Aviel. Her golden eyes flickered in amusement as she saw Rei’s tomato face. 

“ Our manager wanted to mix things up a bit!” she explained with a grin on her face, “ He’s the one reading manga over in his dark corner!” I turned and saw a dark-haired boy in a chair, surrounded by tons of books. He wore a butler outfit with a pin that said *manager* on it, but no flower. 

“ It’s cool that you have butlers and all,” I muttered, “ But where are the maids?” 

“ Right here” spat Atalanta from behind me. She wore a maid outfit, with Seishin on her shoulder. She also had a pin that had a. 

“ Oooooohhhh. I like it!” I whistled. Atalanta’s face became redder with rage. 

“ She drew a line when I wanted the skirt shorter…” grumbled Gorbaz. *He really is a pervert!* I thought. Aviel then slid a new menu towards me and Rei. It consisted of new desserts and teas. 

“ It’s our event menu!” announced Aviel proudly. 

“ Is there anything for Pokecord?” I asked, patting Pokecord on his head. 

“ Definitely!” Atalanta said, looking brighter at the mention of my wolf. “ I’ll make something for him” Rei and I then ordered some cakes and tea for ourselves. 

“ Where’s the bumbling drunk?” asked Gorbaz. “ I said all four of you have to be patrons of this place didn’t I?”

“ Vars is coming soon!” reassured Rei “ She just had to do one more job at Greyman’s Ravine” Gorbaz immediately froze and looked up from his book. 

“ Excuse me,” he said and walked out of the restaurant. 

“ I wonder what his problem is..” I said. 

** **Vars POV** **

*Dammit, dammit, dammit!* I thought frantically as I attempted to incapacitate several giant spiders on my own. * The terrain isn’t making things easier either* The air was stolen from my lungs as I crashed stomach first into a rock. Under normal circumstances, I would be performing better but my previous missions have decreased my stamina. I punched a spider until it exploded. *One down, two left*. I hid behind a pillar to buy myself some time. *Think think think!* I told myself. * If I lure the spiders into a single spot, I could create an avalanche and demolish them both* With a new plan in mind, I set forward to execute it. 

“ Come over here you ugly monsters!” I called. The two beasts hissed and shot their string at me. I managed to dodge one before cutting my arm on one of them. “ Dammit!” I hissed in pain. The spiders then started to approach me, via spider string. When they were about two feet away from me, I managed to leap to the other side of the ravine. Landing ungracefully, I then jumped again to punch the wall. The ensuing avalanche killed both spiders. I sighed in relief. *The job’s finally done! I just need to meet with Rei and Xach at the tavern*. Suddenly, I felt a rumbling. 

“What is it now?” I muttered. The rock underneath me started moving and thrust me to the ground. I immediately recognized the beast. It was a Galeb Duhr, a rock nature spirit. And it was angry. * What can I do?* I wondered to myself *I’m in no condition to fight that thing!* I stood up, *But I can try* The thing roared and aimed a punch in my direction. It’s powerful but it was slow. *My only option is to get the hell out!* I attempted to scale the ravine, but my arm was so injured that I couldn’t. The monster’s fist then reached me and I could barely stay conscious. All of a sudden, I heard a giant BOOM and I felt myself falling down the ravine. Until I felt a hand grab my arm and I felt the sensation of being carried. *He smells… Like coffee* I thought hazily as I shifted in and out of consciousness. I felt like I was being bounced as I was being carried somewhere. Suddenly, the motion stopped and I looked up at my savior for the first time. He had messy dark hair with gray edges and stormy eyes. And for some reason, he was wearing a butler outfit. 

“ You should watch yourself. Someone can’t come to rescue you every time you're in trouble” the man said. I turned red and struggled out of his grasp. 

“ I had it figured out!” I said indignantly. 

“ Really? Then surely you knew that more Galeb Duhrs started appearing at Greyman’s ravine?” he said, raising his eyebrow in irritation. What? I definitely didn’t know that. 

“ I didn’t,” I admitted, “ But who the hell are you and how do you know I was here?”

“ I’m the guy who you owe a lot of money to,” he responded, “ But you can just call me Gorbaz. What’s your name?”

“ Vars” I muttered, avoiding eye contact. 

“ Let’s go back, your friends must be worried” he attempted to carry me again, but I slapped his hand away.

“ I can handle myself!” I stuttered. 

“ Damn, I thought I could get the chance to feel your thighs again…” he muttered. I immediately slapped his head. 


End file.
